Stop motion mechanism



R. R. BARNES ET AL STOP MOTION MECHANISM Filed Dec.' 26, 1946 Patented Aug. '24, i948 2,447,553 y l s'ror MorroN MncnANisM Robert R. Barnes and Walter G. McCulloch, Candler, N. C., assignors to American Enka Corporation, Enka, `N. C., a corporation of Delaware Appucaoen December 2c, 194s, serial No. 118,258

(cig 21a-51) 3 Claims. l This invention relates to looms, slashers, creeling apparatus and thelike and is more particularly related to drop wire stop motion apparatus for detecting and localizing thread breakage in such apparatus while concurrently effecting stopc page of the machine until corrective action has e lbeen completed.

In ltextile apparatus such as looms, slashers and creeling machines, a large number of closely spaced parallel threads-are handled in the ma` chine and because of the difficulties encountered in locating a broken thread under such circumwhich can be manufactured from a single sheet of Y suitable material and yet in which the eyelet will securely envelop the thread so that-the operation of the drop wire is entirely reliable.

Another object of this invention is to provide a i'self-threading-drop wire from which .the thread can' be easily and quickly disengaged,

Other objects and advantages-of the invention l will be apparent upon consideration of the folstances, devices have been developed to detect and indicate the location of thread breakages and at the same time to stop the machine until corrective measures vhavebeen taken. One of the most Widely used devices for the foregoing purpose is the drop'wire stop motion.

'I'he drop l-wire isreally an electrical switch which is held by the thread in circuit opening position and which, upon thread breakage, falls to a circuit closing position, thereby indicating which thread has been broken and also stopping the machine. The drop wires are supported from each of the various parallel threads by passing each thread through an eyelet in the drop wire and then leading it to thepoint of destination. It is, of course, apparent that thiso'peration must be performed in cases when the machine is initially threaded up or when changing the number of ends of threads, or when tying breaks after the thread has for some reason become disengaged from the eyelet., These threading up operations have heretofore been time consuming in the textile arts where drop wires are necessary.

Quite a problem was involved by the use of the standard type of drop wire when it became necessary to change the number of ends of thread or to shift threads that had become crossed during their passage from the slasher to the beam. The

threads had to be broken and taken out of the eleyets, rethreaded into other eyelets and tied together. With the use of the self-threading type g hereinvolved it is a simple matter to disengage the thread from the eyelet and remove either the drop wire or the thread.

It is therefore any object of the present invention to facilitate the installation and threading of drop wires in such a way as to reduce the amount of time required in installing and threading up drop wires in machinesv such as slashers and looms. It is contemplated according to the present inventlon to provide a self-threading drop wire so that the operator may lead each thread from its source to its destination and then quickly and conveniently pass the thread into a self-threading eyelet provided in each of the drop wires.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a drop wire with a self-threading eyelet lowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in conjunction with the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a thread supported drop wire constructed in accordance with thepresent invention and shownin association with conventional electrical control means;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the position assumed by the drop wire in the event of thread breakage;

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the drop wire I taken from the opposite side thereof from Figure 1; and

Figuregi is an end view of the drop wire.

f Referring'now to Figure 1, the reference numeral I0 indicates a thread passing from a source,'not shown, to a destination, not shown, such as a thread passing from a storage package mounted on a creel to va beam.V It is understood that the thread Ill constitutes one of many parallel threads which are being Wound simultaneousl ly onto the beam in the manner of conventional practice. In order' to afford an indication of thread breakage, and in order to stop the apparatus until corrective measures have been completed, there is associated with each thread It a drop wire II having a shank portion I2 provided withv an elongate'aperture at I3 in which there Aare l-ocated electrodes I4 and I5 which are separated by insulating material I6.. The electrodes Ill and I5 are entirely conventional and each is connected through electrical conductors Il and I8 to a circuit, not shown, which serves to indicate the location of a thread break and to 'stop the apparatus until the broken ends have been tied. y e

.In view of the fact that the electrodes I4 and I5 vare separated by insulating material I6, it isapparent that the Figure 1 position of the drop wire lis the open circuit position. The shank'of the drop wire, which is of metal, is provided 'at the upper defining edge of the aperture I3 with a bevel I 9 which in the Figurel 2 position of thev 3 however, the drop wire, no longer suspended by the thread I0. will fall to the Figure 2, or circuit closing. position.

The foregoing description has been concerned with conventional phases of the present apparatus and has been included in order to clarify the improvement constituting the present invention. One improvement of the present invention relates to the structure and mode of operationxof the eyelet at the top of the drop wire II.

Upon reference to Figures .3 and 4 of the draw-I ings it can be seen that the eyelet 20 is defined by the coaction of a bifurcated end of the drop wire with a narrow neck 2| between the upper end of the drop wire and its shank I2.

The width of the drop wire is gradually reducedat the upper end of the shank I2 to define a delta 22, the apex of which leads into the narrow neck 2|. On the upper side of the neck 2| the width of the drop wire gradually increases again to define an inverted delta 23. At a point adjacent the base of the inverted delta 23 the material is bent around for -180" at 24 to define a side lying in a plane parallel to, but spaced from, the plane of the deltas and the connecting neck 2| cut out centrally at 26 to define two tines 21 and 28. These tines are bent over for 180 at 28 to lie adjacent. but in spaced relation. to the neck 2|. The ends of the tines 21 and 28 are beveled in a sense complementary to the delta 22.

The tines 21 and 2l with the neck 2| and the delta 22 define a tortuous passageway at one side of the eyelet 20. The side 25 and the bends at 24 and 29 complete this eyelet. The spaces be tween the tines and the neck.2| and delta. 23 constitute a tortuous access opening, whereby a thread may be introduced intokthe eyelet 20 without passing a thread end through the eyelet.-

The manner in which threading of the eyelet 20 is effected will be apparent from the foregoing description., The thread is passed underneath the neck 2|, as viewed in Figure 3, and over the tines 21 and 28. It is then pulled upwardly by the operator until it can pass between tines 21 and 28 and the sloping sides of the delta 23, whereupon it will fall behind said tines. With the foregoing arrangement for threading the eyelet 20, it is apparent that it is not necessary to pass a thread end through the eyelet.

tofore described. Furthermore, in the event ofY breakage and disengagement of the thread it may be tied and then passed into the eyelet 20 which is much more convenient than the former method of passing an end through the eyelet and then effecting the tying. In case itis desired to disengage the thread from the eyelet 20, it is a simple matter to draw the thread over the tines and delta 23 and thence underneath theneck 2|.

Upon reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3 it will be noted that at the bottom of the shank I2 of the drop wire II there is provided a slit at which permits the dropwire to be passedover the top of the electrodes during installation. It is contemplated that the drop wire of the present invention be made of'stainless steel, Monel, chromium plated steel, plated brass or other metal which is more or less deformable. The eyelet can The side 25 at about its middle point is be made, as shown, integral with the remainder of the drop wire and to install the drop wire on the electrodes it is only necessary to bend the vertical sides of the shank portion I2 in opposite directions to create a large enough gap at 30 to permit the drop'wire to be passed vertically over the electrodes. By this arrangement it is possible to install drop wires conveniently in inaccessible places. y A

While the present invention has been described with respect to a single embodiment thereof in which the entire apparatus is made from a single blank, itis apparent that various structural and dimensional modifications may be made to adapt the invention to different methods of manufacture and different types of thread handling machines.

What is claimed is:

1. In a drop wire adapted to be supported by a thread in a raised position and having a shank portion which in a lowered position of the Wire, coacts with machine control means, means defining a thread eyelet including a rst side connected to the shank portion, a second side con coacts with machine control means, means defning an eyelet including a narrow first side connected to the shank portion, a second side connected to the first side and tines extending from the second side into the plane of the first side in spaced relation thereto, the cumulative width of the tines, the narrow first side and the spaces therebetween being equal to the width of the second side.

3. In a drop wire adapted to be supported by a thread in a raised` position and having a shank portion which in a lowered position of the wire, coacts with machine control means, means in tegral with the shank defining an eyelet, said means including a first side in the plane of the shank portion, a second side supported from the upper portion of the first side in a plane parallel to said rst side and tines extending from the bottom of the second side into the plane of the rst side in spaced relation to said rst side and defining therewith spaces for the lateral passage of the thread into the eyelet.

v ROBERT R.. BARNES.

WALTER G. MCCULLOCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references'are of record in the ille of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS 

